WASHINGTON - A second Washington lobbyist has used Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu's realtor husband for a home transaction.

The conservative National Review ran an on-line story Thursday reporting that Jason Schendle, who lobbies for BP and other energy companies, used Frank Snellings, Landrieu's husband, to purchase a $687,500 home on Capitol Hill in March. Helping a client sell or buy a home generally earns the agent a commission, often about 3 percent, though some commissions must be shared with the agent's real estate firm.

On Tuesday, The Washington Examiner, another conservative publication, said lobbyist Tony Podesta, who has BP as a client, is using Snellings to sell another Capitol Hill townhouse with an asking price of $1.8 million.

Landrieu aides have denied any conflict of interest, and said Snellings' work as a real estate agent was approved by the Senate Ethics Committee. Snellings went to school with one of Schendle's uncles, and had had a long friendship with the family, according to a Landrieu aide. Schendle worked as a energy staffer in Landrieu's Senate office for nearly nine years.

Until recently, he worked for the American Petroleum Institute, the advocacy group for the oil and gas industry. His clients at his current employer, the Alpine Group, include BP, Duke Energy, Murphy Oil and the National Mining Association, according to the National Journal.

Since her election to the Senate in 1996, Landrieu, a Democratic member of the Senate Energy Committee, has been a strong advocate for the oil and gas industry, most recently opposing tax increases targeted at energy companies and protesting a government decision to suspend BP from federal drilling leases and contracts for the massive 2010 oil spill.

Landrieu spokesman Matthew Lehner reiterated a statement he made Tuesday, responding to the Washington Examiner column about Snellings' representation of Tony Podesta:

"After practicing law in Louisiana for 19 years, Mr. Snellings decided 11 years ago to sell real estate. At that time, he and Sen. Landrieu received guidance from the Senate Ethics Committee that stated it is completely permissible and appropriate for Mr. Snellings to be a real estate agent for anyone."

Landrieu is running for a 4th term in 2014.

The Ethics Committee has generally ruled that spouses can do any outside work they wish, including lobbying, as long as they don't improperly influence their partners on behalf of paying clients.